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Methodius of Olympus on the Woman of Revelation 12
Methodius (d. 312), The Symposium aka the Banquet of the Ten Virgins, Discourse 8, Chapters 4-8: Chapter 4. Now, then, O Virgins, daughters of undefiled temperance, let us strive for a life of blessedness and the kingdom of heaven. And unite with those before you in an earnest desire for the same glory of chastity,…
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Victorinus of Pettau on the Ark of Revelation 11 and the Woman of Revelation 12
Victorinus of Pettau (d. 303), Commentary on the Apocalypse, at Revelation 11:19 and 12:1 (consecutive verses): 11:19. And the temple of God was opened which is in heaven. The temple opened is a manifestation of our Lord. For the temple of God is the Son, as He Himself says: Destroy this temple, and in three…
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Hippolytus on the Woman of Revelation of 12
Hippolytus of Rome (d. 235), On Christ and Antichrist, Sections 61-62, states: 60. Now, concerning the tribulation of the persecution which is to fall upon the Church from the adversary, John also speaks thus: And I saw a great and wondrous sign in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her…
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Frédéric Spanheim, Jr. on Historic Semi-Pelagianism
Frederick Spanheim the Younger, wrote a book of church history, known as Ecclesiastical Annals. From page 264 of “Ecclesiastical Annals” (in the source, the author’s name is spelled Freidrick Spanheim) (source) This work was originally written in the 1690s or so, with the English translation coming much later. It is interesting, of course, to note…
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Arminius Against the Label of Semi-Pelagianism
In 1607 or shortly thereafter, Arminius wrote a Declaration of his sentiments on various subjects including Perseverance of the Saints. One of the articles under that heading is provided below (as found at this link): ARTICLE XXX (X.) It may admit of discussion, whether Semi-Pelagianism is not real Christianity. ANSWER In a certain lecture I…
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Other General-Purpose Dictionary Definitions of Semi-Pelagianism (in the English language)
In a previous post we covered the 1913 Oxford English Dictionary’s definitions of Semi-Pelagian and Semi-Pelagianism (link to that post). What about other general-purpose dictionaries of the English language? Webster’s 1828 (website version): SEMI-PELA’GIANISM, noun The doctrines or tenets of the Semi-pelagians, supra. SEMI-PELA’GIAN, noun In ecclesiastical history, the Semi-pelagians are persons who retain some…
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Defining Semi-Pelagianism – the Lutheran Take
While Reformed Theodore Beza (1556) and Roman Catholic Nicholas Sanders (1571) may have been the first to use the label “Semi-Pelagianism,” the first (and perhaps only) conciliar use of the term is in the Lutheran Epitome or Formula of Concord (1577). “The Formula of Concord contains,” according to Nicholas Hoppmann (link to article), “the most…
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Semi-Pelagianism in some Theological Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
The following are definitions of Pelagianism and Semi-Pelagianism from the “Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms” (1996). Despite the “Westminster” in its name, I’m confident that this work represents the mainstream Presbyterian church, which is not “Reformed” in most rigorous senses of the word, though it is broadly in that tradition, as distinct from Eastern Orthodox…
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Semi-Pelagianism Defined by the Oxford English Dictionary
One ought not to have to provide such caveats, but this is a reminder that dictionary definitions are descriptive more than they are prescriptive. In the case of this particular dictionary, the definitions are built on usage over the centuries (but particularly in the period from about 1600 to 1900). Likewise, this is a reminder…
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Provisionism and the 418 Council of Carthage
The Council of Carthage of 418 opposed errors attributed to Pelagius and Celestius (P&C). The council defined eight canons, which sometimes serve as a definition of Pelagianism (for another translation including other unrelated canons, see here). In preparation for an upcoming debate over whether Provisionism (as represented by Leighton Flowers aka LF) is Semi-Pelagian, I…